Automatic air and steam coupler



March 22, 1949. R. MALTBIE AUTOMATIC AIR AND STEAM COUPLER 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 9, 1947 Fig. 2.

Inventor Lloyd R. Malfbie March 22, 1949; L. R. MALTBIE 245,@25

AUTOMATIC AIR AND STEAM COUPLER Filed April'9, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2llll IIIH l ll llllll Inventor Lloyd R. Malfbl'e Patented Mar. 22, 1949UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic air and steamcouplers for trains.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved automatic air andsteam coupler construction for automatically connecting the train pipesof adjacent cars when said cars are coupled together.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved form ofcoupler heads or plates for automatically connecting air and steam trainpipes of adjacent cars when said cars are coupled together, said headsor pipes having means for automatically guiding the same when beingconnected together.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved formof coupler head for automatically connecting air and steam train pipesof adjacent cars when said cars are coupled together, said head havingmeans for automatically guiding the same when it is being connected to asimilarly formed head, and said heads having cooperating gaskets held inengagement by resilient means when coupled together, and means beingprovided for permitting relative angular movement between said coupledheads and their supporting means.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved automatic airand steam coupler which will be highly efiicient in operation, andrelatively inexpensive to manufacture and produce.

Other objects will appear as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this application,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved automatic air and steamcoupler construction showing the parts in nearly coupled position;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the improved automatic air and steamcoupler construction showing the parts in coupled position;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the improved automatic air and steamcoupler construction showing the parts in nearly coupled position;

Figure 4 is a view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3, and

Figure 6 is a sectional View taken on the line 66 of Figure 2.

Like characters of reference are used throughout the followingspecification and the accompanying drawings to designate correspondingparts.

In carrying out the invention, there is provided an improved form ofautomatic air and steam coupler for automatically connecting the air andsteam train pipes of adjacent cars when said cars are coupled together,said coupler including a pair of similarly formed coupler heads or unitsand supporting means therefor.

Each unit or coupler head is provided with a substantially rectangularsupporting base plate I formed with a plurality of apertures or openings2 adapted to receive the attaching bolts 3 for securing the plate I tothe end portion of a railroad car (not shown), being preferably disposedeither below or adjacent to the usual car couplers (not shown) used forconnecting cars together for pulling the same.

A depending supporting guide plate i is secured by the bolts 5 to theedge of the supporting base plate I nearestto the end of the car (notshown) to which it will be attached, and is formed with a tapered squareaperture 6 adjacent its lower' end.

A square hollow air shaft 1 is adapted to be slidably mounted in thetapered square aperture 6, being formed with a longitudinal air passageor bore 8 and reduced at its inner end and terminating in a round pipeconnection 9 adapted to be connected with the air line train pipe (notshown) permanently attached to the car (not shown).

An end plate It) is fixed about the inner end of the square hollow airshaft 1, and is adapted to engage the inner surface of said dependingsupporting guide plate 4 when the coupler is being separated.

A substantially rectangular shaped coupler contact plate II is fixed tothe outer end'of the square hollow air shaft 1, and said plate is formedwith three vertically aligned spaced conical or undercut seats l2, l3and M respectively, in which the rubber gaskets 40 are secured,extending a slight distance forwardly of the outer surface of said plateII. The seat I3 is formed with an axial passage 15 which is aligned withthe passage or bore 8 in the square hollow air shaft 1.

The seats I2 and I4 are formed with axial passages l6 and I1respectively, which align with the hollow nipples l8 and I9 formedintegrally upon the plate H, extending inwardly therefrom and adapted tobe connected with the steam pipes (not shown) permanently attached toand supported by the car (not shown).

A heavy coil spring 20 will be disposed about the square hollow airshaft 1 between the depending supporting guide plate 4 and the innersurface of the contact plate I I, being held contracted 3 and undertension when said air and steam coupler is connected, as illustrated inFigure 2 of the drawings.

It will be understood that each car (not shown) will be provided with acoupler plate and construction similar to that hereinbefore described,and the coupler plates on the adjacent ends of two cars (not shown) willbe automatically connected together when said cars are in coupledposition.

To assist in aligning the coupler plates l I when the same are beingconnected, circular openings 2| are formed through one side of eachplate II and an outwardly extending conical guide head 22 having a roundbody 23 is formed integrally on each side plate at the opposite sidefrom the opening 2!, extending outwardly from the plates ll, whereby theconical head 22 on the plates I I will guide the plates together,entering the oppositely disposed openings 2i, and finally the roundportion 23 of said guide heads will be snugly received in said openings,with the gaskets 40 compressed against each other to form air tight andsteam tight joints.

Due to the shape of the square hollow air shaft 1 which is slidablyreceived through the square openings in the depending supporting guideplate 1, rotational movement of the coupler will be prevented. However,due to the shape of the tapered square opening 6 and the shape of thesquare hollow air shaft 1 which is slidably and adjustably supported insaid opening 6, lateral and vertical movement between said couplerplates II and their supporting mountings will be rendered possible.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that there hasbeen-devised and provided a'highly eificient form of automatic air. andsteam coupler for cars which will be relatively inexpensive tomanufacture and produce.

While the preferred embodiment of the instant invention has beenillustrated, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit thescope of the invention thereto, as many minor changes in: detail ofconstruction may be resorted to without departure from the spirit of theinvention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In combination with a car including air and steam train pipes, 2.depending supporting guide plate attached to the end of said car andhaving a tapered square opening formed through its lower end, a squarehollow air shaft slidably supported in said tapered square opening andconnected at its inner end with said air train pipe said pipe beingmovable in a transverse and vertical direction, an enlargedsubstantially square coupler contact plate centrally supported on theouter end of said square hollow air shaft, vertically aligned hollownipples extending integrally from said contact plate above and belowsaid air shaft connection and connectible with the steam train pipes, anannular flange on the inner end of said air shaft for limiting theoutward movement thereof and of said contact plate, means for limitingthe inward movement of said air shaft and contact plate, and a coilspring disposed about said air shaft between said depending guide plateand coupler contact plate for normally holding said contact plate undertension when connected with a similarly formed contact plate.

2. The subject matter as claimed in claim 1, rubber gaskets in the outerends of said air and steam connections in said coupler contact plate,guide means on said coupler contact plate disposed transversely thereoffor guiding the same when being coupled toa similarly formed couplercontact plate, said guide means adapted to cooperate with and interlockwith. similarly formed guide means on a similarly formed coupler contactplate when coupled together, and saidhollownipples extending rearwardlyof the contact plate and having rubber gaskets seated in the contactplate in alignment with their inner ends, said gaskets extending fromthe contact plate and adapted for engagement with similarly formedgaskets on a similar contact plate.

LLOYD R. MALTBIE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

